Headlines
• Germany lifts ban on UK tourists
• Japan ships 1.1m vaccine doses to Taiwan
• UK deaths 6% below five-year average in last week of June
• Poorest 10% four times more likely to die of Covid in the UK
• Capacity cut for Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony
World news
• Germany will lift its ban on tourists from the UK, Portugal, Russia, India and Nepal from Wednesday. Visitors who are fully vaccinated will also not be required to quarantine. Non -vaccinated people will, however , still be required to quarantine for up to 10 days, with the option to end their quarantine early with a negative test on the fifth day.
• Japan will ship 1.13 million more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan later this week - it had already sent 1.24 million last month. A further 1 million doses will be sent to each of Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
• Those younger than 65 in the poorest 10% of areas in England were almost four times more likely to die from Covid -19 than those in the wealthiest , according to a study by The Health Foundation . Report
• The number of deaths registered in the UK in the week ending 25 June 2021 is 6% below the five -year average, according to figures from the ONS.
• From 19 July, there will be no requirement for visitors to check in to UK venues.
• From 16 August, anyone who is a close contact of a positive case will no longer have to self -isolate if they've been fully vaccinated. Also , anyone under the age of 18 who is a close contact of a positive case will no longer have to self -isolate .
• Russia says it has recorded its highest number of deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic, with 737 related deaths officially reported in the past 24 hours.
• Spain has recorded more than 30,000 new infections since Friday, an 85% increase on the previous weekend.
• Israel will deliver about 700,000 expiring doses of Pfizer vaccine to South Korea later this month, and South Korea will give Israel back the same number, already on order from Pfizer, in September and October.
• Indian drug manufacturer Morepen Laboratories has begun production of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. The first test batch made by the Indian manufacturer in the state of Himachal Pradesh will be shipped to Gamaleya, the Moscow institute which developed the vaccine, for quality controls.
• On 19 July, Scotland is set to move to level zero in its tiering system, the lowest level where some precautions are still in place.
• Turkey has identified three cases of the new Delta Plus variant in three provinces.
• Over 640,000 pupils in England were not in school due to Covid last week - up from 375,000 the week before.
• In Germany 56.5% of people have received at least one dose and almost 39% are fully vaccinated, according to health ministry data.
• Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are to restrict attendance at the Games’ opening ceremony. Only people connected to sponsors, diplomats and other special guests will be able to attend , reduced sharply from an initial estimate of 10,000 .
• The England ODI cricket team returned seven positive test results on Monday and the rest of the team will be required to self -isolate as a result.
